


Empty Vessels and Overflowing Dreams

by Ourliazo



Series: A Brief Foray [13]
Category: Katekyou Hitman Reborn!, Tangled (2010)
Genre: (kind of), Accidental Baby Acquisition, Alternate Universe - Tangled, Arcobaleno are basically Reborn's parents, Arcobaleno are friendship goals, Arcobaleno knows best~, Fluff, Friendship, Gen, Humour, Prince!Reborn, Soft Reborn, Teenage!Reborn, Tsuna getting caught up in the madness
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-21
Updated: 2021-02-21
Packaged: 2021-03-18 06:22:18
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,886
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29605203
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ourliazo/pseuds/Ourliazo
Summary: Tsuna stumbles across a tall tower with only one large window at the top, where he meets Reborn – who looks an awful lot like the lost prince.They go and see the lanterns together, while dodging the various (Arcobaleno) people who try to stall them, all insisting that the prince is dead.
Relationships: Reborn & Arcobaleno, Reborn & Sawada Tsunayoshi, Sawada Tsunayoshi & Vongola Tenth Generation Guardians
Series: A Brief Foray [13]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/682346
Comments: 6
Kudos: 86





	Empty Vessels and Overflowing Dreams

**Author's Note:**

> Background: Tangled AU
> 
> Because someone make a comment about Reborn's sun flames making his hair glow like Tangled and then I just read a Tangled AU where Tsuna was the prince and I'm like – uh, perfect opportunity to have it be Reborn.

Tsuna is picking herbs at the border of the kingdom, in the large, lush forest that Mukuro says eats people.

Mukuro is a liar but Tsuna is still freaked out. Tsuna peeks hesitantly over his shoulder into the shadows of the forest and the small woven basket over his arm shakes when he shivers.

Tsuna shouldn't even be out here, he's in the administration sector of the kingdom's biggest hospital. He takes stock and does data entry, none of this gathering medicinal plants shit. His boss, Nezu, just wants to bully Tsuna like always. Probably hopes Tsuna does get eaten out here.

A branch snaps and Tsuna screams, whipping around to see a deer startles at the noise Tsuna makes and sprint off, also terrified.

Tsuna sigh shakily and slumps. "Yeah, you and me both."

Whatever, Tsuna will wander around for another hour, pull out some weeds to shove into his basket and head back. His clothes are already filthy but they're just standard white and green, shirt and pants with some scuffed brown boots.

Tsuna kind of wishes he brough his orange hoodie with him, for comfort if nothing else.

Tsuna hefts his satchel up higher and cautiously picks his way through the massive trees, careful not to trip over any roots or leaf litter. He passes a nice hill, thinks about eating some food, and ducks in fright when he hears a warbling bird call.

Tsuna is so sick of this that when he sees the trees part into an open clearing, he half runs for it. He bursts out into soft grass and skids to a halt when he registers the massive, white tower looming above him.

Or, more importantly, the giant lilac airship that's docked at the top of the tower, the airship's cabin hovering a few meters away from the large window.

Tsuna's first thought is honestly if he can ask for a lift back to the kingdom because walking all this way was a trial, and he's not sure if he even knows where he is.

A figure abruptly appears, leaping from the window in a blur of royal purple and deep black, sailing across the wide gap and only just catching a hold of the airship's railing. The figure flips themselves over and lands in the open deck that rings the closed off cabin. They turn back and wave at the window.

Another figure appears, in black this time. This person does a gesture, something like blowing a kiss – or maybe flipping the bird.

The one in purple flops forward over the railing, reaching out dramatically for their companion as the airship pulls away. Their lover?

Tsuna is smiling as he walks towards the tower. That's kind of cute. Clearly they're good people – because evil people aren't allowed a sense of humour.

Or at least they won't kill Tsuna on sight so it should be safe to ask for directions.

It's a long walk across the grassy clearing dotted with wild flowers, so the airship is long gone by the time Tsuna reaches the base of the tower. He circles around it, a few times actually, but he never does find a door.

Weird.

Tsuna back up and spins around it again, trying to maybe catch someone's eye out of a window, but the only window it the one he saw at the start, all the way at the top.

Maybe the entrance is hidden underground or something.

"Can I help you?" comes a faint call.

Tsuna looks around and then up. The black one – a man in a bespoke suit, as Tsuna can see now that they're closer.

"Oh," Tsuna says. He shifts the basket's handle higher up his arm until it sits in the crook of his elbow. He cups his mouth and yells back, "Hey, I'm a bit lost, can I ask for directions back to the kingdom?"

The man holds out a hand telling Tsuna to wait. He disappears for a long moment and then a sturdy rope is thrown from the window and the man soon rappels down hands and legs clamped around the rope but still sliding fast enough that Tsuna gets nervous.

The man slows and eventually drops off the rope in front of Tsuna, landing gracefully. "Reborn," he introduces himself as, less a man and more of an older teen, maybe a few years younger than Tsuna. Reborn peels off black leather gloves and tucking them inside his bespoke, slim three-piece suit, all sleek lines and sharp edges in a deep black.

"Huh," Tsuna says because those leather shoes alone shine brighter than Tsuna's future.

Reborn has a classically handsome face, the black hair is slicked back under a fedora either well taken care of or brand new. The cute curly locks of hair at either side of his chiselled jawline is a nice touch.

The chameleon on his hat is maybe a little weird though.

"I'm Tsuna, and hey, I was…looking for medicinal herbs. Because I'm…smart."

Good job, Dame-Tsuna, that's believable.

Reborn smirks. "Chaos, Tsuna." He glances down at the basket. "Wow, that's…impressive."

Tsuna just dumps the weeds and random leaves out of his basket and drop kicks it away. "Hi, I'm Tsuna. I'm lost and kind of pathetic, please take pity on me."

Reborn huffs out a laugh, black eyes narrowing from how he smiles. He turns away to hide it, flicking the rope and somehow detaching it, everything spiralling down only to loudly slap against the ground.

"Don't worry though, my survival skills are incredible," Tsuna reassures. "I know two different kinds of knots."

Reborn hums blandly but there's still a hint of a smile on his face when he turns back. "Well, I don't know how to get out of here either, so I guess it won't take long before you show off your knot tricks."

"Do you not live here?" Tsuna asks in confusion, looking up at the tower.

"I don't get out much," Reborn says casually, looking around idly. "The sun makes me too strong."

"I gain power from chocolate," Tsuna offers.

Reborn huffs again in amusement when he smirks. "Pick a direction, let's go."

"Where are we going?"

"Does it matter?" Reborn muses. "Away from here. Show me the lights, near the kingdom."

"The lanterns," Tsuna guesses. "Actually, the prince's birthday should be soon. They release the lanterns every year in memory of him."

Reborn's smirk is too sharp. "Yeah. Take me to the kingdom."

* * *

The owner of the sketchy bar is called Kyouya and he looks at Reborn with a frown before disappearing somewhere.

"Should we…be leaving?" Tsuna asks quietly, following as Reborn beelines for the bar.

"No one is close by," Reborn says dismissively. "We have time. Bartender, your finest espresso, if you will."

Lambo looks at Reborn over the counter. "What?"

* * *

"Oh, we have time, do we?" Tsuna gasps, sprinting with Reborn down the secret tunnel Lambo shoved them into – after Reborn threatened the bartender.

"Enough time for a drink," Reborn laughs, one hand holding the espresso I-Pin made (not spilling a single drop) and the other gripping Tsuna's satchel – which now has the long rope and the lizard snacks I-Pin also palmed Reborn.

They burst out into a precarious stone path high above a sunlight-filled valley, with a massive wooden dam looming over them. Reborn slams back his coffee, throws the mug over the edge to a very tall drop off, and takes the leap off the edge without hesitation.

Tsuna skids to a stop and watches, open mouthed, as Reborn sails over the ten-metre gap between the rock pillars, landing gracefully and looking back over his shoulder with a smirk.

"Come on, jump!" Reborn calls out.

Tsuna shakes his head frantically. "Nah. Nah, I'm cool with not _dying_ today."

"It's either the fall or the gun that's going to kill you," Reborn points out, gesturing behind Tsuna to where the Varia come charging out of the tunnel after them.

Tsuna whips around and raises his hands. "Can we talk? I would like to talk. I'm sorry for whatever I've done-"

Xanxus takes aim just as a loop of rope comes down over Tsuna's head and his raised arms, tightening around his torso and then _pulling_ -

"Reborn!" Tsuna shrieks as he falls, stomach slamming up into his lungs from the drop, scrambling to hug the rope around him. The line catches, goes taught, and Tsuna swings through the valley – still screaming.

Xanxus shoots the top of the nearest wooden pillar instead, detaching it from the dam wall. Lussuria spins and with a rain of solid hits, the pillar topples over, the other end thudding down on Reborn's rock platform.

Tsuna slams into a jutting piece of wood and wheezes, scrambling at it until he gets a leg up and sits there, gasping.

Reborn turns back to look past the Varia running across the wooden beam towards him. Reborn locks onto Mammon, the cloaked figure hovering in the shadows of the secret tunnel, a frown on their face.

"Reborn, jump!" Tsuna cries.

Reborn tips backwards off the ledge and he falls.

The rope, now tied to the jutting wooden beam on Tsuna's end, has enough strength for Reborn to swing down through the tall pillars.

Tsuna leaps onto the wooden slide below him designed to help overflow of the dam, trickling water and growing moss. He wobbles and lands on his ass, getting jostled around as he slides down. Halfway, the dam wall creaks and shudders, bending out ominously at the point where Xanxus shot out the pillar.

Tsuna chokes on a scream. "Oh please, God, if you have any pity-"

God has no pity.

The dam breaks and the water explodes out, just missing the Varia who retreated back into the safety of the tunnel.

Reborn's swing lands him in a small stream of water that lets him slide to a stop on his feet. He tosses the rope away and runs, scooping up a Tsuna who was just shot out of the end of the slide.

They run, with a cresting wave at their back, the water toppling stone pillars and flooding the valley with enough force to chip away at the rock walls.

They dive into a small shelter of collapsed rocks just as a stone pillar rams into the entrance, blocking it off and shaking the ground, leaving them in pitch blackness.

Water starts gushing in.

Tsuna slumps against the cold, rough stone as he pants, clutching a stich in his side and feeling his ankle ache from a band landing coming off the slide.

He doesn't realise what's wrong until the water is at his knees and he refocuses to the sound of Reborn scrambling at the walls, trying to pull the densely packed stones down or to kick them out.

Tsuna lurches forward and starts searching as well but he can't see anything, bumps up against Reborn more often than not, even accidentally grabs Leon – who is crawling around also looking for a way out.

It doesn't take long for the water to be over their shoulders and they both retreat to a higher step, pressed up against the ceiling.

"Why is there nothing in your bag?" Reborn complains, riffling through it in a panic.

"Well I'm sorry I didn't bring any excavating tools with me," Tsuna snaps. "…but there's a sandwich in there if you're hungry."

Reborn scoffs. "That's not our biggest problem at the moment." He abandons the bag and with a bit of blind patting around, he grabs Tsuna's shoulder. "I can make it quick."

"What?" Tsuna blinks into the darkness and the sound of rushing water. "Make it – no. No! First of all, I'd rather live as long as possible. Second, that means you not only kill me, you also die alone here. I'd rather not."

Reborn makes a quiet noise, something like that huff he makes when he smirks, or maybe a gasp of air. "They're going to be so upset with me," he whispers.

"…did I ever tell you I can't swim?"

Reborn splutters when he tries to laugh but swallows water instead. "I'm made of sunlight."

"Cool."

"…Tsuna, I'm _made of sunlight!_ "

And Tsuna is blinded by the flare of brightness just as the water swallows his head.

* * *

The next morning, Tsuna and Reborn wander along the cobbled path towards the south entrance of the castle, still a bit damp because the fire last night couldn't quite dry out their shoes or thicker jackets. They lost Tsuna's satchel somewhere, and Reborn's clothes are wrinkled from being wrung out.

Surprisingly, it hasn't been a bad few days.

"I'll warn you now, there's going to be a lot of merriment and cheer," Tsuna says solemnly.

"I hate it already," Reborn grumbles, still trying to smooth out his clothes.

Tsuna only laughs. "You're fine; it's nice clothes on a nice man -teenager-, what's not to love?"

Reborn gives up and sighs, loudly and theatrically. "I need coffee."

Reborn gets all the coffee, Leon gets all the treats, and Tsuna plays tour guide to his two raptured guests.

"And this," Tsuna says, gesturing with a flourish to the ring of dancers. "Is where I tripped over and headbutted Takeshi in the dick."

Reborn chokes on his espresso flavoured candy and Tsuna thumps him on the back while Reborn coughs.

"Let's sit you down," Tsuna offers kindly. Tsuna pulls Reborn over to the edge of the crowd and sits him on the stone ledge of the small garden wall. "Stay here, I'll go find a bag to put your haul in."

"It's fine," Reborn gasps, still recovering. "Leon will eat them all soon."

Leon takes the last bite of the cotton candy and then crawls down from Reborn's shoulder to the paper bag of cookies, which he then absorbs in its entirety.

"That's messed up," Tsuna tells the lizard.

Leon licks his lips.

Tsuna scoffs. "Yeah, I'll get a bag so you can buy more."

Tsuna wanders the nearby stalls for a while but can't find any selling bags. He then quickly ducks into the castle through a side door he usually uses to move around and heads for the knight compound. Tsuna's rooms are too far away so he'll steal something from Hayato and then return it later.

Tsuna glances up for a reason he doesn't understand and stops, standing in a large circular area at the intersection of three large hallways. The stained-glass window shines down onto him, the sunlight making the royal family look ethereal.

Kawahira and Sephira are graceful and aloof but their gentle hold on their son is kind. The prince is cute and chubby as a baby, with wide black eyes and silky black hair with two little curls framing his rounded cheeks.

"…spoke to Mammon, who said no one was found," a female's voice says as she turns the corner. "The tower is still empty, maybe he's just wandering around. He's fine, Colonnello, nothing can keep him down for long."

"I know, Lal," Colonnello grumbles. "But he could have at least left a note."

Tsuna watches as two knights walk towards him, and judging by the colours on their shoulders, very high-up on the chain of command. He only manages to make his voice work after they've taken a few steps past him. "Um…hi."

The blond man looks back at Tsuna and puts on a friendly grin, not stopping. "Hey, sorry, we're actually on an assignment right now so if you need anything, there are others on patrol-"

"I know where the prince is," Tsuna says blankly.

Lal stops dead.

"He's…" Tsuna gestures vaguely to the side. "Here. I brought him here."

Lal whirls around, deep red eyes blazing in fury. "The prince was lost, when he was a child."

"I-I know," Tsuna stutters. "But I swear, I found him. He's safe now, if you can call the king and queen-"

"There is no prince!" Lal snaps. "He's not the lost heir - the prince is dead."

"Lal," Colonnello says quietly. "Maybe we should go meet the _prince_."

Tsuna hands clench into fists. There's something wrong, this is wrong. These people know something.

They mentioned a tower before, didn't they? Why didn't Tsuna pay closer attention? Maybe these two are part of the group from before – the Varia. Maybe they already know Reborn, and someone was keeping Reborn in that tower before, weren't they?

Tsuna makes a run for it. Colonnello starts to chase but Lal grabs his arm.

"Later," Lal grits out.

Tsuna sprits through the hallways, his footsteps echoing back at him.

* * *

Reborn looks up when Tsuna arrives and smirks. "See? No bag needed." He gestures with his now free arms because Leon has in fact eaten everything.

"Yeah," Tsuna says quietly.

Should he tell Reborn? But that woman was so angry, so adamant and she knew something. Was she one of the people who was behind it – a castle guard?

Is Tsuna really going to tell Reborn that the teenager has a family, is loved by the entire kingdom - only to then explain that Reborn's kidnapping was an inside job?

"Let's go," Tsuna says. "My friends and I usually take a boat to see the lanterns."

Tsuna will tell Reborn after, to not ruin this moment.

* * *

And when the sunset turns to dark blue skies, and the lanterns light up in the darkness, Reborn stares up at the sky. Lost in the beauty of it all.

* * *

They dock on the foggy bank and Tsuna brings Reborn over to a fallen tree. "I need to…tell you something."

"You're in love with me?" Reborn says with a smirk. "Oh, I already know. I'm irresistible."

"I love you like a particularly annoying friend who occasionally tries to get me killed," Tsuna corrects.

"That happened like once, let's not exaggerate."

"Twice, because you offered me one of Leon's cake slices and he almost ate me."

"Alright, twice," Reborn allows.

Tsuna takes a deep breath. "Reborn, that tower I met you in-"

Reborn head snaps around, eyes going wide.

"…uh," Tsuna says. "Reborn? Hello? Anyone home?"

"One second," Reborn says and stands as if in a daze. "There's something…"

Tsuna watches his walk off into the light fog, incredulous. "Reborn? Are you serious? What, did Leon spot another pastry stall? Come on!"

"Just a moment," Reborn calls back, voice faint.

Tsuna throws up his hands and sits back with a sigh. He does a double take and almost screams when he notices a man standing at the edge of the fog, dressed in loose, flowing red and white clothes.

"My name is Fon," the man greets with a serene smile. "I apologise for this, but the prince is dead. Reborn is no longer your concern."

* * *

Reborn sips the espresso from the cup-lid of the thermos and moans. "So good, I haven't had these beans in forever."

Verde rolls his eyes, still holding the thermos. "You always say that."

"Every second without expresso is a decade in hell," Reborn whispers worshipfully.

Fon walks up and pats Reborn on the back. "There, there, drink your coffee. Let's go home."

"Hm? Where's Tsuna?" Reborn looks around.

"I scared him off," Fon admits.

"…that easily?" Reborn asks. He's still looking for Tsuna.

"Shook him around a bit," Fon explains. "He hopped on the boat and took off. Come on, it's cold out."

"Oh," Reborn murmurs. "Alright. He wasn't too bad, while he lasted."

Verde pours him some more espresso and the three disappear into the fog.

* * *

Tsuna wakes up to the boat being jostled around madly and the familiar sound of Hayato cursing at Takeshi.

Tsuna blinks blearily, lying in the boat with his head hurting. "What…"

"Tsuna!" Takeshi laughs, dripping wet like Hayato, knight uniforms ruined after their brief swim out to the boat. "Hey, I heard you were under arrest and that your boat would dock very specifically near here. Crazy, right?"

"Reborn," Tsuna says in a daze. He sits up. "Where's Reborn? I – he's the prince but some people have kidnapped him and-"

"Woah, woah," Takeshi interrupts. "What we don't know, we can't confess to, right?"

"Idiot," Hayato spits out, punching Takeshi on the shoulder. He then does a complete flip, falling over Tsuna with a bright smile. "Mister Tsuna, I'll help you with whatever you need! Just say the word."

"You'll get in trouble," Tsuna protests.

"Ah, but…" Hayato trails off. "What we don't know, we can't confess to."

"Oh," Tsuna says. "Well, I need a horse…for no particular reason."

"Horse coming right up!" Takeshi laughs.

"I need a very _specific_ horse," Tsuna insists.

"Are you sure?" Hayato asks worriedly. "That horse is a bit…"

"I'm sure," Tsuna promises. "I need…Ryohei."

* * *

What should have taken a day actually takes two hours because Ryohei is… _quite_ the horse.

Once he reaches the tower, no other horses or airships in sight, Tsuna calls out for Reborn and a rope is thrown down. He climbs up, using the various knots in the rope as hand and foot holds. He's panting, muscles trembling by the time he gets up, but there's still enough adrenalin in him to stand firmly.

Five people look back at him.

Mammon, from the Varia. Lal and Colonnello as palace knights. Fon, the one who attacked Tsuna on that foggy bank. A green haired man is here, and Tsuna vaguely recognises him as Verde, a scientist the king occasionally consults with.

"Where's Reborn?" Tsuna demands.

"Is it for the reward?" Lal asks.

"What?"

"The reward money for taking the prince back to the kingdom," Lal snaps. "Is that why you took him? Because you seemed pretty fucking eager to throw him at us back in the castle."

Tsuna splutters. "I – no, I just…he's the prince."

"He's not the prince," Mammon scoffs. "The prince is dead."

"Did you kidnap him? Why?" Tsuna blurts out. _"What the hell is going on here?"_

There's a commotion and the rainbow-coloured curtain at the top of the stairs above is wrenched open, Reborn stepping out with a man covered in purple and black leather stumbling out after.

"The prince is dead," Reborn says firmly. "Sorry, you won't get the reward."

"I'm not here for the reward!" Tsuna snaps back. "Reborn, you've been fucking _kidnapped_ by these people, when you were a baby! I don't know what they've told you, but we need to leave. Be the prince, don't be the prince – _I don't give a fuck_!"

Reborn stares down at Tsuna and something makes his expression soften. "The queen was sick, when she was pregnant."

Tsuna is getting whiplash here. "I…okay?"

Reborn walks down the steps and the others part for him. He stops in front of Tsuna, a small frown on his face. "The queen was sick, so the kingdom searched for a cure. They found a flower, on a cliff top…facing the sunrise with the waves crashing below and sea spray cooling the air."

Reborn offers up a half-hearted shrug. "The prince was a stillborn, an empty vessel. But then I started talking only days after I was born, and they became scared. I was given to Lal, for her to get rid of me."

Tsuna blinks and slumps. "Oh. Then you're…"

"I'm not the prince, I'm the flower," Reborn admits.

**Author's Note:**

> Other story lines within this one:
> 
> 1\. Tsuna quits his shitty job and moves in with Reborn and the others.
> 
> 2\. Tsuna's friends visit occasionally and get into fights with the Varia, who also lurk around.
> 
> 3\. Reborn's hair becomes blond if he stays in the sun too long, which is why he doesn't like going out except for in Skull's blimp. His eyes stay black though.
> 
> 4\. Technically, if Reborn sings then his power gets stronger, but he adamantly refuses to.
> 
> 5\. Yes, Ryohei is the horse.
> 
> 6\. Skull dies once, and Reborn slaps him awake, and then Skull can just never die again.
> 
> 7\. Lal eventually stages a coup with her loyal COMSUBIN knights and the Arcobaleno take over the kingdom.
> 
> 8\. They later run off to adventure and leave Kyouya in charge.


End file.
